POLICY:  
Collecting Medical Debt

PURPOSE:  
This policy outlines the procedures for collecting medical debt while ensuring compliance with the Minnesota Debt Fairness Act and maintaining fair and respectful treatment of patients.
 

SCOPE: Effective October 1, 2024

All debt collection practices at Alliance Imaging will comply with the Minnesota Debt Fairness Act (Minn. Stat. § 332A), which mandates fair and transparent debt collection procedures.

Alliance Imaging will not deny medically necessary health treatment or services
to a patient or any member of the patient's family or household because of current or previous
outstanding medical debt owed by the patient or any member of the patient's family or
household regardless of whether the health treatment or service may be available from another health care provider.

Alliance Imaging does collect co-pays and/or portions of deductibles at the time of service. This amount will be provided to each individual patient prior to their appointment.

Alliance Imaging may require the patients to enroll in a payment plan for the outstanding medical debt owed. The payment plan must be reasonable and must take into account any information disclosed
by the patient regarding the patient's ability to pay. Before entering into the payment plan,
Alliance Imaging must notify the patient that if the patient is unable to make all or part
of the agreed-upon installment payments, the patient must communicate the patient's situation
and must pay an amount the patient can afford.

Alliance Imaging will never transfer a patient’s medical debt to their spouse.

If appliable, Alliance Imaging will notify patient’s of their right to hire an attorney or contact the Attorney General regarding their Medical debt.

A collecting party is prohibited from reporting medical debt to a consumer reporting
agency. A consumer reporting agency is prohibited from making a consumer report containing
an item of information that the consumer reporting agency knows or should know concerns
medical debt. For purposes of this section, "consumer report" and "consumer reporting agency"
have the meanings given in the Fair Credit Reporting Act, United States Code, title 15,
section 1681a.

A collecting party will identify the medical debt as uncollectible or satisfied, ending the collection activities. Notification will be sent to Alliance Imaging from the collecting party.

In the event a health plan company determines or receives notice from a patient or other person that a bill from Alliance Imaging to a patient for health treatment or services may contain one or more billing errors, Alliance Imaging or the health plan company must review the bill and correct any billing errors found. While the review is being conducted the patient will not be billed for any health treatment or service subject to review for potential billing errors. After the review is complete, and any billing errors are corrected, a notice of completed review is transmitted to the patient.

If, after completing the review and correcting any billing errors, Alliance Imaging or a health plan company determines the patient overpaid, a refund will be sent to the patient within 30 days.

This policy applies to all staff involved in the billing, collections, and management of medical debt for Alliance Imaging.

 

Regulatory citations:

CHAPTER 62J. HEALTH CARE COST CONTAINMENT

CHAPTER 332. COLLECTION, CREDIT SERVICES